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jaymzHal
Silver Member
United Kingdom
297 Posts |
 Posted - 02/23/2009 : 23:28:35
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Today I managed to acquire for myself a mid 80's Hohner ST special strat copy in hot pink. Does anyone know anything about this strat-a-like?
It sounds okay, I think the pickup positions need adjusting since the neck pickup is noticeably louder than the others, but also quite shrill. With the tone down midway it produces classic fender neck sounds. However, I will give it a good clean up and set up this week and hopefully it will really come to life. However, there is one minor electrical problem (other than the crackling pots).
When the bridge position is selected you get the bridge and middle sound unless you push the switch towards the floor a little. It's bent up towards the pickups a little so it must be shorting somewhere. Also the 2nd and 4th positions aren't hum cancelling (I don't think, or maybe they are all just really noisy...).
Anyway, I'm happy with my purchase - a mid 80's guitar in good condition for �40 is not a bad deal, especially in pink  |
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zerksies
Double Platinum Member
USA
3406 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2009 : 00:21:40
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| I would say replace the 5 way switch |
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The_Doc
Gold Member
United Kingdom
509 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2009 : 15:50:13
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Hi jaymzHal - I've got a white / maple neck Hohner strat copy - from around the early / mid '80s. A pretty bog standard copy (not an 'ST special' I'm guessing) and, for something given to me for nothing, it's one hell of a passable strat - plays great and sounds, like you say, a bit shrill but with the tone or vol rolled off a bit, it sounds like a classic strat. It did feature on a recoding once and I recall a few people commenting on the 'Dire Straits' like guitar tone - so it must have been ok (alright - I was into Dire Straits at that time - I admit it!!  )
There's a 5-way switch on mine and I've never had any problems with it. I'm guessing that yours might have had a knock or something at some point.
Whilst I used it a lot when I first got it (it was my second guitar for gigging after a Gibbo Les Paul that cost me virtually the whole of my first year Uni grant!) - the guitar probably only gets played about once a year(!) nowadays. I took it of the wall today and played it and I swear it sounds even better now - probably more like my ears are so shot they are starting to miss those shrill high frequencies! 
But, it has never let me down (apart from the odd touch of contact cleaner now and then to stop the crackling pots). The only thing that worried me when I first got it were some small cracks in the body paint around the neck joint that could have got worse but they never have - probably cosmetic. 
I think you've made a good purchase there. Even in pink (cool!) a little gem imho.  |
Edited by - The_Doc on 02/25/2009 17:42:24 |
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jaymzHal
Silver Member
United Kingdom
297 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2009 : 18:30:15
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Ah the_doc I'm glad you rate it and I'm also glad that you took it off the wall to give it a whirl!
I adjusted the pickups and sorted out the intonation just now and it sounds much better in all the positions. The middle position is also very lively which I must admit I don't normally use that often. Very vintage Fender sounding, and very Dire Straits as you say (Which there is no shame in being a fan of  ). The shrillness is not as bad now that I have adjusted the pickups and I am surprised by the quality of the neck - it has a nice shallow c shape to it.
also, there is a small crack in the paint by the neck in mine too but it seems solid.
And zerksies - In a way I'd like to change the switch and the pots but I suppose it also makes sense to keep the cost down (otherwise it would seem like less of a bargain ), so hopefully i will be able to fix it with solder/good old fashioned bending when I take the scratchplate off.
And if anyone wants to see, here she is:
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jack
Platinum Member
USA
1418 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2009 : 14:21:40
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| I don't know about the Hohner Strats, but if its anything like my 20 year old Hohner L75 (Les Paul Copy), then you got yourself a well-built guitar there...I still use my L75 all the time, though lately I have been trying to find a replacement so I can "retire" this guitar... |
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zerksies
Double Platinum Member
USA
3406 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2009 : 14:34:54
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| COST DOWN??? A new 5 way switch is 15 dollars. |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2009 : 15:23:43
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I have our singers Hohner in the house....he took it apart and never got around to putting it back together...its a nice guitar but the electrics are a bit shit in it,it's a strat style and has 'Arbor series' written on the headstock...if i have time and come across a scratchplate i might put it back together for him with some pickups and decent tuners i have lying around the spare room..i'll post a pic if anyone is interested...... |
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jaymzHal
Silver Member
United Kingdom
297 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2009 : 17:06:01
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quote:
Originally posted by zerksies
COST DOWN??? A new 5 way switch is 15 dollars.
Well, say I can get a new switch for �5, I'd probably want to change the cheap crackly pots as well, and the tuners aren't that great either and all of a sudden the bargain guitar is starting to cost a reasonable amount of money Just saying, if the switch can be fixed I don't want to waste money that could be better spent on something more interesting... |
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Hohner ST special strat copy
